The invention relates to methods and systems for storing energy and generating power and/or heat in a subsea environment such as on an ocean floor or within an offshore oil well.
Providing the power necessary for many subsea oil and gas extraction and processing operations can be very expensive and is in some cases impractical. For example, in locations where there are no deep ocean currents, where the recovery of wave or tidal energy at the ocean surface is impractical or where the ocean surface is iced over for part of the year, the only practical means for providing power to many subsea operations such as those carried out by equipment on the ocean floor is to provide long and expensive subsea cables to the equipment. Where power is needed far offshore, the cables are typically connected to an offshore platform.
It would be desirable to have a system and method for supplying power and/or heat in a remote subsea environment while avoiding the aforementioned difficulties.